See You Later
by Tayra Green
Summary: Yaoyorozu Momo was graduating and taking the next step towards being the hero she's always wanted to be. But moving forward also meant saying goodbye to the many friends she'd made at U.A. and although she'd been waiting years for this day to come, she wasn't sure she was ready yet *Always listed as complete*
1. See You Later

**Hey guys! This will be listed as always complete, but I may come back and add another chapter if I think of anything to add (I already have a few thoughts :P). But anyways, this isn't how prom works where I'm from (usually we still have a few exams afterwards) and I don't know if it is for anyone else either, but it is now haha**

 **Also, I don't know what Momo's parents are like, sooooooo let's just pretend this is the way they are haha**

 **Huge shout out to _HotchocolatesandGingerbread_ for helping me fill in the plot holes in this story!**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

It was kind of surreal. The way time seemed to pass by so quickly, as if it was moving without her and she was struggling to keep up. She'd smile and nod and take part in conversation after conversation, but it all seemed like a dream. She'd been too lost in her thoughts the past few days and now that day was finally here, it only got worse. Before she knew it, Momo was moving on to the the next thing on her list of things to do that day.

She sat amongst the other graduates and waited until her name was inevitably called, letting out a breath and making her way up onto the stage where all eyes would be on her. She shook hands with all of her teachers, and took the envelope confirming her future from All Might, turning for the photo her parents had pestered her about all morning.

"Don't forget to turn towards the crowd once you get your diploma," her mother had told her, eyes sparkling with excitement. "Your father and I want a picture!"

She smiled wide and lifted her head proudly. She was finally graduating. After three years of working towards this, becoming a hero, she'd finally made it. A part of her was sad it was all coming to an end, but another was overjoyed, taking another step towards the future, towards her goals. For so long it had all felt so far away, but now, standing on the stage and looking down at the crowd of familiar faces, it was coming to an end.

And then she was suddenly smiling for picture after picture, posing with her close friends and even acquaintances and some teachers. At first, Momo was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't asked anyone for a picture; she was just joining in pictures she was requested for and smiling for others.

Ashido had joined in for the majority of her photos along with her best friend, Jirou, jumping with enthusiasm and ending up with at least a dozen silly photos. Each of the girls got a one-on-one picture with her, smiles sweet, and some even tearful. Hugs were exchanged (and photographed, of course), hands were shook, and many well wishes were given.

And her parents, as expected, were grabbing random people from the mass crowd of students scattered around the field and shoving them in front of the camera with Momo and telling them both to smile. They even grabbed a few people Momo didn't even know, to her dismay. But she'd shrug and smile anyways, glad when the surprise guest would follow along with the silliness.

"Is there anyone else you want a picture with?" Her father asked her once they noticed people were beginning to wrap up and head out.

Momo's thought's jumped to the red and white haired boy from her class, eyes searching for that familiar head of hair automatically. She hadn't seen him since they arrived. "Just one."

She got onto her toes to peek over the many people surrounding her, and when she didn't see him anywhere, she stopped her heels back to the ground and turned towards her parents. "I'm going to go look for him. Wait here please?"

Her parents looked up from the camera. "Sure, sweetie." They exchanged glances, and as Momo turned around, they went back to looking through the pictures they'd taken.

Momo ducked around several groups of people, mindful of the way her heels sunk into the grass as she went. She was glad she went with thicker heels rather than stilettos like many of her friends did. The crowd was getting smaller with more people leaving, and Momo hoped she hadn't missed him, not seeing his face anywhere among the crowd.

She was stopped by a few friends and teachers along the way, having a very brief conversation with each of them before Momo politely excused herself and began looking for the half and half user, hoping he hadn't left yet.

When she finally found him, he was in the middle of a group picture with a bunch of the boys; some she recognized and others she didn't. He was smiling his usual (but genuine) small smile, each arm braced along the shoulders of Midoriya and Iida, who stood on either side of him. He hadn't done anything with his hair, tucked under his cap and letting it fall just above his eyes as it naturally did, and the graduation gown suited him just as much as she knew it would. Having known him for three years now, she was convinced he looked good in anything.

She stopped a few feet to the side, smiling gently as she waited patiently for the photos to be over. Momo had already gotten a picture with most of the boys from the group, so she was content with finishing up with Todoroki. The boys all had their fair share of chuckles once the picture was taken, starting up new conversations and saying their farewells. Momo took a breath and approached the half and half user slowly.

Momo hoped she seemed professional enough, trying to tame the red that threatened to bloom across her cheeks as she came to a stop before the three boys, eyes turning to look at her. She smiled politely and greeted each of them before turning her attention to Todoroki. "Todoroki, I was wondering if I could get a picture with you?"

His heterochromatic eyes bore into hers. "Sure."

"We'll see you at the party later," Midoriya told him with a pat to the shoulder. He looked over at Momo. "Maybe we'll see you there too?"

Momo nodded with a bright smile. "Yes, you will."

"Great! See you both later then!" And then they were gone, leaving the two of them alone, save for the many teachers, students, and families gathered around them taking pictures of their own.

"My parents are waiting for us," Momo, unsure of what other action to take, gently took his hand and pulled him along behind her, leading them through the crowd and towards where she knew her parents were waiting. She glanced back at him and let out a light laugh. "I thought maybe you left already when I didn't see you anywhere. I don't think I've seen you since the ceremony started."

His fingers curled around her gently and Momo had to tell herself he was just trying to be polite. "Oh, maybe. I've been with Midoriya for most of the day."

Of _course_ he was. They were practically best friends since their first year. He wasn't around when she had her photo taken with him though so she wondered where he was then, but it didn't bother her enough to ask. "He seems like a good friend."

"He is."

"Ah, _there_ you are!" Momo's mother greeted upon seeing her, eyes travelling to Todoroki. "And this is?"

Todoroki stepped forward and held out his hand just as Momo was about to introduce him. "I'm Todoroki Shouto. I've been classmates with Yaoyorozu since our first year. It's good to meet you both." He shook both their hands then stepped back to stand beside her again.

"Alright, you two." Her father raised the camera to his face. "Smile for the camera!"

Momo glanced at Todoroki as she shifted into place, taking a step closer to him so she pressed gently against his left side. She wrapped an arm behind his back just as he snaked an arm around her waist and she tilted her head towards the camera with a happy smile. The camera clicked a few times and then her father lowered it and shuffled through the photos to make sure they were decent before giving them the thumbs up.

She peeled herself away from him slowly, already missing the warmth against her side, but pushing the thought back and smiling up the few inches between them and meeting his eyes. "I'll text you a copy of the pictures, okay?"

He nodded, that small smile of his still present. "Sure, thanks."

"Are we all set?" Her mother asked, grabbing her attention.

She glanced back at Todoroki and nodded. "Yeah. I'll see you at the party later, Todoroki."

He nodded. "Yeah."

And, once again, time suddenly began moving all too quickly. She was rushed home and shoved into a chair before at least four people began working away at her make up and hair, telling her to tilt her head this way and bend a little that way. Luckily, Momo didn't plan anything drastic, so her hair didn't take as long as it would've had she wanted an up-do and her make up was light and only added to her natural beauty.

Once the make-up artists and hair stylists left, Momo slipped into her long red A-line dress and zipped herself up, stepping in front of her long mirror to get a better look at herself. Above the heart shaped neck line was lace that stopped over her shoulders and along her collarbone. She went with a pair of small and subtle diamond earrings, choosing not to wear a necklace, and silver heels.

She had to admit, she looked _amazing_.

Usually, this would be the part where her date would show up and her parents would gush over how cute of a couple they were and take an annoying amount of pictures before sending them off to the party, but Momo didn't actually have a date. It wasn't because she couldn't find one, not at all, but more because there was only one person she was interested in going with, and she was worried about the many possible outcomes of asking him and since he hadn't asked her, it didn't end up happening at all.

Plenty of guys had asked her to be their date to prom, some asked more than once ( _*cough* Mineta *cough*_ ), but Momo refused them all. She never gave them a reason _why_ , and she shouldn't have to, but she was glad none of them bothered asking her why, though it made her wonder if she was just one of many girls they'd picked out as a possible date.

No, instead, she made her way through the large house, stopping so her mother could take a quick photo before going outside to her car and driving herself to prom. It was being held at the school in the largest gym they had, but there was no sign of any obstacle courses or training dummies/mats. Rather, the large room was filled with disco lights, decorated tables, a large stage at the back of the room from the entrance where a DJ was playing, large speakers spread around the room. There were more tables with snacks and drinks than she expected there to be, but there _were_ a lot of students.

"Yaomomo!" She heard Ashido shout before she actually saw her pink friend, smiling in greeting as she dragged Uraraka and Jirou over. Ashido tackled her in a hug, her long black dress and high heels not holding her back in the slightest as she did so, laughing enthusiastically. "You're finally here!"

"How long have you guys been here?" She asked curiously. "I didn't think I was late."

"You're not," Jirou told her, waving off her obvious concern. "We've only been here for like a half hour. Ashido is just impatient."

" _Hey!_ "

Jirou shrugged with a small laugh. "Well, it's _true_!"

Momo took a good look at her friends, not having actually seen their dresses yet (they wanted them to be a surprise for prom). All three girls' dresses were also A-line, and Ashido's was strapless while Uraraka's tied up around the back of her neck. Uraraka's dress was simple and the same pink as her hero costume while Jirou's was purple like her hair and, surprisingly, only went over one shoulder. They all looked so grown up and Momo wondered if that were the case for her as well.

"You three look so beautiful!" Momo exclaimed happily. "I _love_ your dresses!"

Ashido leaned an arm over her shoulder again playfully and smirked at her. "What about you, Yaomomo? You're looking snazzy!"

"You really do look amazing, Yaoyorozu!" Uraraka beamed with bright eyes, clasping her hands below her chin in that childish wonder she'd come to love about her.

"Thank you." She smiled kindly at the brunette.

"Hey," Ashido jumped in. Momo wondered how long it would take until the girl finally ran out of energy. "Let's go dance!"

"What about your dates?" Momo knew for a fact they each had one. "Where are they?"

Jirou threw a thumb over her shoulder and Momo glanced over, finding Kaminari, Kirishima, and Bakugou all huddled by one of the snack tables. "They'll probably be there for a while."

She turned towards Uraraka. "And Midoriya?"

"He went to find Todoroki." She said with a smile and shrugged lightheartedly.

Momo probably should've known that's where he was, but she knew Midoriya to be a friendly guy, so it wouldn't surprise her if he was off making friends even on the last day they would be seeing each other at school. He was just that kind of guy. "Ah, I see."

"So come on!" Ashido looped her arms around all three girls and began dragging them towards the dance floor. "It's time to boogie!"

Momo wasn't much of a dancer, but it was prom and for the sake of her friends, she tried to have fun with it, jumping around and pumping her fists to the loud music. She'd had to stop much sooner than everyone else, going and grabbing a drink, her dark eyes watching over them as they continued to dance their hearts out. They all looked so happy even though this was it. Once prom was over, school was over. They wouldn't ever be in U.A. as students again.

She kind of envied their ability to be so positive about it all. Yes, she was happy as well, but a large part of her was sad it was ending, and no matter how badly she wanted to put it behind her and enjoy her last night together with her friends, the thought keeps coming back and she found her smile fading into a frown and felt tears gather in her eyes.

Momo made her way over to a vacant table and took a seat, letting out a shaky breath. She had to get over this. She could be sad about it tomorrow, for now, she wanted to be happy and have fun. So why was it so hard? How was it so easy for everyone else?

The chair next to her slid against the floor loudly and Momo jumped slightly, blinking in confusion. Todoroki sat down in the seat beside her with a plate of small snacks, pulling his chair in slightly once he was seated. The suit he wore suited him well. Well, he was missing the jacket (she wasn't sure he even wore one in the first place), but he wore a nice white dress shirt with a blue tie along with black dress pants.

Her eyes fell to his tie again. He always did have an affinity for that familiar shade of blue; the same blue as his hero costume. Whether if it was because he liked the colour or if it just naturally brought out his best features, she didn't know, but it was a good look for him, all the same.

His heterochromatic eyes landed on her and Momo snapped out of her thoughts, remembering to smile politely and nodding at him. "Todoroki."

Instead of greeting her like she expected him to, he asked, "Are you here alone too?"

The question caught her by surprise. She either didn't think Todoroki paid attention to that stuff or he just didn't care enough to look into it. Yet here he was. She nodded. "Yeah. You didn't ask anyone to prom?"

"Was I supposed to?"

"Only if there was someone you wanted to go with."

"Oh."

The corners of her lips twitched upwards in amusement. Leave it to Todoroki to not know. How did he think everyone _else_ paired up for prom? "…Was there someone you wanted to go with?"

He was quiet for several moments before saying, "I hadn't actually thought about it."

She suspected as much. Todoroki wasn't the type to think about any of that sort of stuff anyways. "Then no harm done, right? Are you having fun?"

"I suppose," he agreed. "Parties aren't really my thing, but I was told I have to come."

"Midoriya?" She asked, almost teasing.

He nodded. "Midoriya. Well, and Ashido, Kirishima, and Kaminari…But mostly Midoriya."

Ah, _Ashido_. Why wasn't she surprised? "They just want you to have a good time."

"Yeah."

Momo found her friends in the midst of the dance floor, still full of so much energy that Momo couldn't even begin to guess where it all came from. They'd been at it for a good hour and a half and still going strong. At least that meant their stamina would be good for their future careers as heroes.

Right. They graduated. Her mind began to sink deep into thoughts of having to say goodbye and part ways with everyone, but Todoroki's voice pulled her attention away from it in a distraction she was grateful for—

"You're frowning."

— _Kind of_.

She felt the blood rush to her cheeks and she ducked her head, forcing a small apologetic smile. "O-oh, am I?"

"You always did worry too much."

A small, confused, "Eh?" fell from her lips.

"Let's go for a walk." He stood from his seat and held out a hand for her to take.

Her eyes wandered to her friends throughout the gym, but after telling herself she still had plenty of time to come back and spend more time with them, she placed her hand into his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. He dropped her hand again to turn and lead her through the students and towards the door of the gym.

She followed closely behind him, walking through the door he held open for her and waiting for him to begin leading the way again, falling into step beside him. The halls of the large school felt totally different when they were empty, but Momo couldn't place whether it was a calming effect or an eery one.

"You look at the big picture a lot, don't you?" He asked her suddenly.

She turned to look at him. "I suppose so…"

"You look at the big picture and probably overwhelm yourself," he said thoughtfully, and Momo couldn't help but think what he was saying made sense. "Try taking it one step at a time."

"But…how?" She asked him, hating the way her voice shook. She tried again, voice steadier this time. "How do I do that?"

If he noticed anything, he didn't show it, expression unchanging. "Focus on what's happening in the moment. Do what you can now and leave the rest for when the time comes to deal with it."

She sighed. "I've tried that…but I can't seem to stop thinking about…the big picture."

"Well, what's worrying you now?"

He really didn't know? She stared at him, wide eyed, and her legs stopped moving, Todoroki making it a few steps ahead before finally stopping and turning back to look at her in confusion.

"Yaoyorozu?"

"…Everything is ending. School is over. Everyone will be going off on their own…we won't see each other much anymore…" Her voice cracked in a few places, and tears began gathering in her eyes again.

"It will take some getting used to," he agreed, "But we'll still see each other."

Momo, while knowing he was talking about the class as a whole, wished he was talking about the two of them specifically. Within their last year together, Momo had come to a conclusion, but it was one she never acted on nor thought she ever would. Over the course of their three years together, Momo and Todoroki had been paired together for training and assignments more than a few times and their teamwork was rather exceptional to say the least. They worked well together, and Momo had wanted to ask Todoroki to be her partner even after school ended since the beginning of their last year. But, with her insecurities about the whole idea, she never could bring herself to actually bring up the topic with him.

"If you want to see someone," he continued, "All you have to do is ask, right?"

She peeked up at him with blurry eyes. "Even you?"

Todoroki didn't say anything for several seconds, and just as she began to worry she'd said the wrong thing, he said, "Even me. Everyone is one text or phone call away, Yaoyorozu. That's all it is."

"You should try it," a voice came from behind her, and Momo turned in surprise. Jirou was standing a few feet behind her waving her cell phone in front of her.

"Jirou…?"

Her purple haired friend smiled kindly. "I know you too well, Yaomomo. I knew you'd be worried about saying goodbye to everyone."

"But—"

"— _But_ , it's not a goodbye," Todoroki interrupted and she spun around again, glancing between the two of them.

"It's more of a…," she tilted her head, teasing. "See you later." Her eyes flicked over Momo's shoulder to look at Todoroki. "Right?"

Todoroki only nodded in agreement, lips turning upwards.

Momo didn't know how they did it, but in an instant, she felt the weight on her shoulders disappear. A smile grew on her lips and she let out a small laugh. "Thank you. Both of you."

"—What're friends for?"

"—You're welcome."

Their simultaneous answers were so… _them_ and Momo couldn't help the laugh that bubbled in her throat and escaped her lips, almost doubling over, her hand pressed against her stomach. Jirou joined in shortly after, and surprisingly, Todoroki got a chuckle or two in as well.

"Shall we head back then?"

* * *

"I miss you _already_!" Ashido cried, wrapping her arms around as many of her classmates as she could, squeezing them in one of the most uncomfortable hugs Momo had ever seen.

Luckily enough, she was off to the side with Hagakure and Ojiro and was saved from the torturous hug. Unfortunately, Jirou was not, arms flailing in the air above her, telling the pinkette "We get it, we get it! _Please_ let go before you choke us to death!"

And then a crying Uraraka joined in and she heard a variety of voices groan. Momo laughed but approached the group, pulling both Ashido and Uraraka off of everyone with a polite, "That's enough, you two."

Everyone was saying their goodbyes and driving off soon enough, but Momo didn't feel the same weight she did earlier. Her heart was heavy, and she was sad it was coming to an end, but with a glance towards Jirou and Todoroki, she reminded herself; this is not goodbye. Everyone is one text/phone call away.

Todoroki stayed behind with her even as everyone else left, and the turned towards him questioningly.

"I wanted to say…see you later, properly."

It sounded awkward coming from him, the words not coming out quite the way they should've, and he knew it too, but she only smiled the few inches up at him and nodded.

"…Let's go for a walk?"

She had to hold back the laugh that threatened to burst from her lungs. "Again?"

He nodded. "Again."

"Okay…where to?"

"Where's your car?"

Momo glanced behind her. "Over in the paid parking a block over."

"So is mine. Let's go." And then he was off, already headed towards the sidewalk that led to the parking lot, leaving Momo to catch up with a laugh.

There was a sense of calm to the city at night, Momo noticed, eyes wandering around at the empty streets and bright street lights lined up along the sidewalks. There were a few that flickered, but unlike how they're portrayed in movies, it wasn't at all frightening. It's the little things like the way the fences would rustle with the wind and the way the stars would shine so brightly in the clear night sky that Momo noticed on walks like these.

They didn't have to talk. They didn't have to do anything. They were just comfortable, and that was all that mattered. Words weren't needed in the presence of a friend you're comfortable with. All you need is their company.

Momo sighed happily, letting her arms swing by her sides as she walked, the warm night air of summer soothing against her skin. With the way her quirk worked, she needed to be exposed to the air more than usual and in all seasons. The colder times of year weren't her cup of tea, but it wasn't too bad and she'd managed so far. But, she could say, without a doubt, that this was the perfect temperature for her. She'd soak it all up while she could, silently hoping for it to last a little longer this year as her first year out of high school and working as an official hero.

"This is nice," she breathed out quietly, letting her head fall back to look up at the starry sky. Momo traced the many constellations with her eyes, going over the many combinations she'd read about in books and learned about in school.

"It is," Todoroki agreed, glancing her way.

When they'd finally gotten to the parking lot, Momo walked them to her car, stopping just before reaching the small red Volkswagen and turning back towards her now-former classmate.

"You must really like red," Todoroki commented suddenly, glancing between her and the vehicle behind her in mild amusement. But before she could respond, he added, "You look good, by the way."

Her thoughts about liking the colour red came to a sudden halt and she closed her mouth, at a loss for words. He was jumping from one thing to the next before she could even gather her thoughts and Momo almost wanted to tease him for it…if only she were thinking straight.

She glanced down at her dress as if she'd forgotten what she'd been wearing for the past several hours before meeting his heterochromatic eyes with a shy smile. "Ah, thank you. You're not too bad yourself."

And, just like she did, he glanced down at his clothes, and it was _almost_ comical. "Thanks."

She nodded and began rustling through her clutch for the keys to her car. Truth be told, she didn't want to leave yet, but Momo wasn't sure what else to do at this point. Still, she took her time retrieving her keys, pulling them out at least a minute later than it would've actually took her to.

"This isn't goodbye," he reminded her, voice gentle.

Momo nodded at him happily. "This is a see you later."

He patted the pocket of his dress pants. "I've got my phone on me."

His earlier words came to mind. _Just a text or a phone call away._

They'd grown closer over their three years of classes together, often spending their lunch breaks together and holding study sessions in the library that they wouldn't end up leaving until well past curfew. He'd opened up much more over the years with some coaxing from Midoriya and the rest of the class, her included in some cases, and it showed.

She thought back to their first year. Todoroki came off as cold and was closed off almost completely, not initiating conversation with anyone and only answering in short, curt responses when he was spoken to. He often tried to take everything onto himself, doing all of the work in partner situations and assignments, closing himself off more and more when it came to his father and his fire quirk.

And _now_ look at him. He still didn't particularly talk much, but he smiled more, and he talked with more people about more things, showed interest in things no one would have even thought him capable of even thinking of in their first year.

She'd looked up to him from the moment she met him even through his cold demeanour, and even as he grew as a person and as a hero. And she still does to this day. She remembered being insecure about her own abilities when she lost against Tokoyami in the sports festival and she remembered the way Todoroki had rekindled her broken thoughts of worry and self-doubt with only a few words. He believed in her and that gave her the push she needed to keep going and improve.

They'd both grown a lot since then, and though they'd graduated, nothing had changed. She'd almost lost herself in her worries, and yet again, Todoroki was there to give her that push she needed.

Words could not even begin to express how thankful she was to the boy standing in front of her.

So, she did the only thing knew she could to try and express herself to him in a way that he would understand. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his middle, squeezing him tightly and closing her eyes, breathing out a, "Thank you… for everything."

Slowly, his arms slid around her shoulders, giving her a gentle squeeze in return. "You're welcome."

* * *

Momo clutched her file against her chest with anxiety. She shifted from foot to foot as she watched the numbers change above the elevator door. Four more floors left. Three. Two. Momo took a few deep breaths. She'd been waiting for this day for the past year and a half, both dreading and filled with excitement. She wondered what they came up with. She'd finally gotten past an internship and was finally taking the next step towards heroism. She could do this.

The elevator dinged and she took another deep breath, waiting as the doors slid open before stepping off. Faces passed her in the hall, some donning a mask, and others wearing a suit or a dress-suit, carrying papers around and yelling out orders over all of the commotion. She smiled politely in case anyone looked her way until she reached the door of her boss's office.

Momo read the metal golden tag where his name was written on the large wooden door and lifted a hand, knocking firmly. She waited the few seconds before he called her inside with his usual stern voice. Turning the knob, she pushed through the door, smiling her politest smile at the pro hero before closing the door behind her, avoiding the eyes of the other person she saw standing to the side of the room until it was finally closed. She was trying to prepare herself for possible disappointment.

"Yaoyorozu Momo, meet your new official partner."

And then she looked up and met his eyes. The breath seemed to leave her lungs, eyes widening and lips parting in surprise. And with this, Momo knew, everything would be okay.

"Todoroki?"

* * *

 **Taadaaaaaaaa**

 **What'd you think?**

 **I'll post a link with a picture of what Momo's dress looks like on my bio...it's white but let's just pretend it's red :P**


	2. See You Tomorrow

**Aaaaand I'm back! I feel like some parts might feel rushed, and I may go back and add to it later, but this is what I've got!**

 **Also, thank you to those to reviewed, favourited, and followed!**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

"Todoroki?"

Endeavor's authoritative voice made her turn her attention back to the fiery hero. He was sitting behind his desk, one she doubted he spent too much time behind with all of the hero work he does out in the field. His eyes were the same piercing blue as his son's left eye, but his held a much colder look. "Upon Shouto's request, you two will be partners as of today. I've done background checks with the school and it has been brought to my attention that you two work well together. That being said, I hope you live up to my expectations, Yaoyorozu. I have high hopes for my son and I don't want something like an incapable partner slowing him down."

Todoroki took a step forward. "Father—"

"—I understand, sir," Momo interrupted quickly with a nod of her head. But still, _yikes_. She'd rather just keep away from any possible arguments with the number two hero.

"Good." He turned his steely gaze towards his son. "You'll start on Monday. Dismissed."

Momo let out a quiet breath of relief. She had so many thoughts churning through her mind as they exited Endeavor's office, heart pounding heavily against her ribs and legs shaking as she walked. The door closed behind them, but they didn't utter a single word until they reached the elevator, and luckily for them, they were the only passengers.

She found his heterochromatic eyes in the mirror opposite them. "You requested me as your partner?"

"Yeah," he answered simply, nodding.

"…Why?"

He tilted his head in confusion. "We work well together and I thought we'd make good partners. Don't you agree? Or is it that you don't want to be partners?"

"No, no, that's not it at all!" Momo waved her hands in the air frantically, turning to face him in urgency. "I do believe we work well together, I just didn't expect you to request me of all people…"

"Why not?"

 _He was as blunt as ever_ , Momo thought. But, it was one of the many things she liked about him. There was no skirting around topics with him. He said what was on his mind no matter what it was. At least, she had yet to find him hold back with his words. Momo supposed that might be one of the reasons she worried about choosing her words wisely with him; he would speak his mind to her without even blinking.

"I guess…because there are plenty of others to choose from, many with much more compatible and powerful quirks than mine," she explained carefully. "Why me?"

"There's more to choosing a partner than the quality of their quirk and how sharp their abilities, Yaoyorozu," he began. His eyes shifted from hers to watch the numbers above the elevator doors change with each floor they passed on their descent. "Having a compatible quirk doesn't mean anything if you can't get along as people. You have to be compatible in more ways than just one. Quirks and personality are important, but so is trust. A partnership won't work if you can't coordinate well as a team.

"I chose you because I already know we have all of those things. Why would I choose someone else I may not even get along with when I already have someone worthy of being my partner?"

Momo couldn't help but stare at him with wide eyes. She knew he was blunt and honest, but how did he _always_ seem to catch her by surprise?

The elevator dinged suddenly and the doors slowly slid open. Todoroki glanced her way, gesturing his head forward before exiting the elevator. She followed after a moment, gathering her scattered thoughts once she'd realized there was a group of people waiting for them to get off so they could get on.

She followed his lead and signed out at the front desk, saying a quick goodbye to the secretary that sat behind it and following him out the front doors of the large agency. She fell into step beside him again. "Have you thought about it a lot?"

"Requesting you as my partner?" He clarified. She nodded and he continued. "My father brought up the possibility of getting a partner a few months ago. So, I guess so."

Momo laughed a light laugh, feeling a little light-headed about the whole thing. "You know, Todoroki…I've actually wanted to ask you about being partners since the beginning of our last year in high school. I've always thought we make a great team, but I was too nervous to say anything."

His eyes widened a fraction and she wasn't sure if it was a bad thing or not. "Why?"

"…I was afraid of what you might say."

"You thought I'd say no." It was more of a statement than a question. "You think too much, Yaoyorozu. You psych yourself out a lot when you think too hard about things."

"Aren't you ever worried about saying certain things?" She asked him, genuinely curious. He was blunt, but maybe he was that way to keep himself from psyching himself out the way she did. "Is that why you're so blunt?"

Todoroki stopped at his black car, but made no move to grab his keys from his pocket. He turned to face her completely and met her dark eyes. "Not usually. That's just how I am, but I have sometimes." _Yeah, she didn't think so._ "Maybe you should try it. Say what's on your mind before you can second guess yourself."

"You're telling me to talk without thinking about what I say first?" She asked with a small laugh. "Isn't that the _opposite_ of what you're supposed to do?"

"I suppose." He thought for a moment. "How about just trying it with me, then? We're partners now, so we should be able to talk to each other freely."

Though the only person she really got nervous talking to was _him_ so it kind of defeated the purpose. Not that she would ever tell him that. She laughed nervously. "I can try."

He nodded. "We start now." He held out a hand. "I look forward to working with you, Yaoyorozu."

Momo smiled and took his hand.

* * *

They started patrolling at 7am after having met up at the agency and going over their route for the day. They walked along the sidewalks of the city, scanning their surroundings and looking for anything suspicious.

It was a nice summer day, warm, and with the help of the cool breeze, not too warm. Many people waved at the two rookie heroes and some spoke with them, welcoming them and thanking them for their service. Pictures were taken and introductions were given, revealing themselves to the world as official partners under Endeavor's agency, ready for duty.

The morning passed without incident and the two ended up stopping at a vendor for lunch, taking a seat at one of the few picnic tables with their food. Todoroki had ordered a simple order of fish while she went with something a little more fattening for the sake of her quirk.

"When you're not out on the field, you tend to think there's trouble all the time. But this is more peaceful than I ever would've expected." Momo took her time looking around at the happy faces of the citizens she swore to protect. This was what heroes wanted. Not only safety, but the happiness that came with it.

"Being attacked as students at U.A. probably didn't help give us the right impression," Todoroki said in agreement, taking another bite of his fish.

"It makes sense." She looked across the table at him again just as a light breeze blew through the air, the red of his hair mixing in with the white in a way she found rather beautiful. She was mesmerized by it and felt a sudden urge to run a hand through his hair to see if it was just as soft as it looked.

Todoroki's eyes flicked to hers and she felt her breath stop as if her inner thoughts were projected to him with the unexpected contact. And then she was thinking about how beautiful his eyes were under the light of the sun, wondering how she hadn't noticed it before.

He tilted his head at her curiously. "What're you thinking?"

Momo's eyes shot wide open, lips parting in surprise. She wasn't expecting that. _At all_. "Uhh…"

His lips turned up at the corners and he shook his head at her. "Speak your mind. Say what you want to say."

Momo wasn't sure she even _wanted_ to say anything in the first place, but she understood what he was telling her. _Don't think_. In a way, it was like saying be true to your mind. She smiled nervously and looked down at the wooden table, fidgeting with her fork. "Your eyes…I think they're…beautiful."

She glanced between him and the table rapidly, worried about his reaction. He blinked a few times and his lips parted in surprise, eyebrows raising the slightest bit. It was obvious that the statement caught him off guard, her words taking a few moments to sink in, to finally _actually_ hear what she had said. "Oh."

 _Crap._ Had she said too much? "Sorry, that's weird isn't it?"

He raised a hand towards the dark skin surrounding his left eye, touching the skin just below it. His lips formed a small smile and Todoroki placed his fork on the table next to his plate. He met her eyes and held her gaze. "Thank you. No one's ever told me that before."

Her lips parted in surprise. "Really?"

He nodded. "I've always thought of them as odd, so knowing someone thinks they look beautiful makes me happy."

There was a brief pause and then, "There's something else," she blurted out before she could stop herself, eyes watching as the fingers that traced the edges of his scar came to a sudden halt. "...There's something else I want to say."

"Go ahead." He gestured with one hand for her to continue. _Speak your mind._

So she did. "About your scar," her eyes moved up to the blue of his left eye. She smiled nervously. "When I look at you, it isn't at _all_ distracting. You might think it is, but to me it's a part of you, like it always has been, like it's normal. Like…if it weren't there you wouldn't be you. When I look at you, I don't see a scar. I just see you…and I want you to know that."

He was quiet for a minute, but his eyes remained trained on her. She wasn't quite sure why though, barely containing the urge to squirm under his intense gaze. She meant what she said, she just hoped it didn't bother him or come across the wrong way.

He opened his mouth to answer, but a loud crash followed by multiple screams echoed through the air and they both turned towards the commotion. Getting to their feet simultaneously, they made a run for the source, telling passing civilians to get to a safe zone and call for back up.

Momo saw the villain the moment they turned the corner, throwing what looked like a blue-tinted transparent shield through the windows of the shops lining the street and narrowly missing several people in the process. She didn't see any other heroes in the area, taking a quick look at their surroundings.

Momo jumped in quickly, creating a shield of her own from her arm and bracing herself as the transparent shield slammed into her. Todoroki was quick to follow up, sending a hurdle of ice towards the villain before them at a fast pace.

The transparent shield suddenly disappeared and Momo had to catch herself before she tipped over, the force suddenly gone and leaving her pushing against empty air. Looking back towards the villain, Momo watched as Todoroki's ice slammed to a stop against a larger transparent shield. Her eyes widened in recognition. "A forcefield?"

"Forcefield?" Todoroki echoed her words.

"If that's what it is we might be able to break it with force, and usually the power of it depends on the state of the user," Momo explained quickly, eyes trailing the blonde villain as she sliced through the ice. _She could use it as a blade?_ She'd never heard of one being used like that before. They would need to be careful.

Todoroki sent a larger force of ice towards the villain, but again, it slammed to a stop. It was sliced away and the villain laughed. "You can't win, heroes!"

 _Don't engage with the enemy if you don't have to_ , Momo reminded herself, jumping out of the way as a blur of blue flew towards her; _they like to play mind games._ She took a few steps back and placed herself behind Todoroki. "Cover me."

He nodded and flames burst from his left, raising a thicker-than-usual wall of ice that circled around her almost completely and acted as a shield. The forcefield cut through his ice, so he just made his ice thicker. The villain would know Momo was up to something with the way Todoroki was blocking her off from harm. She would go for the ice. Momo just hoped Todoroki could hold her off long enough for her to do what she needed to.

She created a cannon as fast as she could, the ice surrounding her cracking in a few places as she heard the forcefield hit it from the outside. Loading the cannon quickly and preparing it to fire, she rolled it most of the way out before creating an EMP and tossing it towards where she knew the villain to be. It was a guess on her part, but also an attempt to find any weaknesses and hopefully disorient her. She aimed the canon.

"Shouto!"

He dove to the side, and Momo fired.

The cannonball flew through the air and the villain, prepared for the attack, raised her arms and formed another forcefield. Momo ran forward, creating a tranquilizer gun and and taking aim, waiting for her opportunity to strike.

Todoroki hit her with a combined blast of fire and ice just after she blocked the cannonball, turning at the last second to block his attack from the side. Which left her _other_ side completely open to Momo.

She took the shot.

* * *

Somehow, Todoroki always knew what she was planning, and vice versa. There were times when no words needed to be exchanged for them to know what to do. They'd point at something or make hand signals and they _knew_. Most of it was thanks to their training in high school. Many of their subtle signs were created for exams and tests and they just brought those with them to their careers as graduated adults, as _heroes_. All of those years of practice beforehand really did them a favour.

They got to skip the awkward beginning that most partnerships had. Most people had to slowly adapt to the other person and learn how they thought and how they fought, but _not_ _them_. They already knew. They knew from watching each other in school, from talking and training together. And for that they were blessed.

Momo was quick to cuff the villain with anti-quirk hand cuffs, handing her over to the authorities when they arrived. Both she and Todoroki had to go through a series of small interviews with the press, introducing themselves and explaining their quirks, taking up a good portion of the afternoon and soon it was just the last few remaining heroes cleaning up the mess.

They were sent home soon after, bidding them a good job and a goodbye before they set off. Thankfully, it wasn't too far of a walk and they made it back within a few minutes, stopping at their parked cars sitting next to each other in the parking lot of the agency.

Momo turned towards her partner. "Good job out there today."

"You too." A few strands of red stuck to the skin of his forehead, no doubt from the heat of his fire.

She smiled and nodded, retrieving her keys from her bag. "Thanks."

They didn't say anything for several seconds, standing in the parking lot in a comfortable silence. This was the part where they said goodbye for the day, so why wasn't anything happening?

"Thank you," he began, holding her gaze. "For what you said earlier."

At first, Momo was confused by his words, wondering what on earth he was talking about. But then she remembered their conversation during lunch and red bloomed across her cheeks. "O-oh, right.. You're welcome."

He nodded, pulling his own car keys from the pocket of his pants and breaking the eye contact. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

Momo nodded in return. "See you tomorrow, Todoroki."

He paused mid-step, eyes finding hers again in what looked like confusion. "Todoroki?"

There was a pause while Momo tried to figure out what was confusing him and it suddenly hit her. _Right._ She called him _Shouto_ during the attack today. "We were on duty," she explained. "And Shouto is your hero name. It's only right that I call you by your hero name on duty."

"It's also my given name," he told her simply, but not unkindly. "You can call me by my name when we're not on duty, Yaoyorozu. It's my _name_ , after all."

 _Oh_. She smiled. "Then call me Momo as well."

"Momo," he nodded, testing her name on his tongue. She quite liked the sound of it. He took a step back. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," she agreed with a nod of her own.

Somehow 'see you later' had turned into 'see you in a few days', which then turned into 'see you tomorrow', but Momo had no complaints. It was quite a journey, but she was happy with her destination.

* * *

 **Your thoughts? :)**


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